The First Iris...

[Julie Kenward]

...are finally popping open! I made this image last night shortly before sunset.

Canon 40D, EF 100mm f/2.8 macro
f3.2 @ 1/125th, ISO 200
Handheld, no flash
Processed in ACR & CS4

[denise ippolito]

I love that color Iris. I like your composition and the BG is lovely!

[Jackie Schuknecht]

I love irises Julie and this one is beautiful. I would like to know how you HH everything and get things so sharp (just a little envious)! Beautiful composition and the flower really stands out from the BG.

[Julie Kenward]

How do I handhold everything and still get a reasonably sharp image?

Two things: First, I practice...ALOT! I really don't feel the same connection to my camera when it's on a tripod...it makes it into a mechanical/technical thing instead of an extension of my eye/heart and I really prefer my "heart" images over my technical ones. As an artist I want people who view my images to feel like they walked right up to the object and saw what I saw so I try to look for the best angles and to then get the balance of my body right. Sometimes I sit, stand, lean, or brace myself in different ways...it all depends on the subject. I'm pretty sure for this one, I was on my knees, leaning up against a fence with the weight of my body against the fence to help steady me.

One thing that has helped me immensely is learning to inhale, compose my image, and click the shutter at the bottom of the exhale. You get less "shake" that way and, after a little practice, it becomes second nature. I really don't even think about it any more. I breath in, I compose, I breath out, I photograph.

Hope that helps!

[Jackie Schuknecht]

Thanks, don't like a tripod much either. Will start to practice Julie.

[Ed Cordes]

Iris are hard to photograph due to the depth of field required. You did a good job here. I like the BG a lot. Could the image use more saturation?

[Julie Kenward]

Ed, I looked at the saturation levels several times and then went back outside and took another look at the flower. It really IS this light and pale so I left it as is. I had the same thought, though!